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Illinois Honey Label Requirements

Illinois honey label requirements are light for pure honey. Unadulterated honey, in the comb or extracted, is exempt from the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and it is not a cottage food, so no Illinois statement goes on the jar. Your label carries the federal basics: the name, the net weight and who packed it. Infuse anything into the honey and the cottage food rules, with their own Illinois food labeling requirements, take over.

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Illinois honey label requirements: map of the United States with Illinois highlighted
Pure honey label

What goes on an Illinois jar of pure honey

Illinois law steps back from pure honey, so the federal label basics are what your jar needs.

Example label for a jar of raw wildflower honey from an Illinois beekeeper with the net weight in ounces and grams and the beekeeper's name and address
  1. 1
    The nameFDA honey labeling guidance
    Pure honey is "Honey". "Raw Wildflower Honey" or "Clover Honey" works when it's true for your hives.
  2. 2
    Net weight21 CFR 101.7
    By weight, not fluid ounces, in the bottom 30% of the front panel: "NET WT 6 oz (170 g)".
  3. 3
    Name and place of business21 CFR 101.5
    Your name or business name with city, state and ZIP code, plus the street address unless it's in a current city or phone directory. Selling honey someone else packed? Use "Packed for" or "Distributed by".
  4. 4
    No ingredient list
    Honey alone is a single-ingredient food. The name is the ingredient statement.
  5. 5
    Nutrition Facts, unless exempt21 CFR 101.9(j)
    Small sellers can qualify for an FDA exemption, as long as the label and ads make no nutrition claims. Our tool helps you set the 1 tbsp serving and prints the standard "Includes Xg Added Sugars" line.
  6. Keeping bees? Register every yearAnnualIllinois law says every person keeping one or more colonies of bees shall register with the Illinois Department of Agriculture annually. It's not a label item, but it comes before your first jar.
Illinois at a glance

State law, honey houses and registration

State food lawExemptHoney in the comb, or removed from it in an unadulterated condition, is exempt from the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.410 ILCS 620/27
Honey houseUnder 500 galSell at a local market and pack or sell less than 500 gallons of Illinois honey a year, and the Department of Public Health may not regulate or inspect your honey house.410 ILCS 650/7
BeekeepersRegister yearlyWith the Illinois Department of Agriculture, for one colony or a hundred. You may have to post your registration number in each apiary.510 ILCS 20/2
Cottage food?NoIDPH says honey is regulated under the Department of Agriculture and is not a cottage food product. Plain whipped honey isn't either: air is not an ingredient.
Infused honey: the Illinois cottage food labelCottage foodWhip or infuse an ingredient into honey at home and it becomes a cottage food. Register with your local health department each year (fee up to $50), become a certified food protection manager, and label every jar with your operation name and town, your registration number, the common name, all ingredients by weight, the date processed, allergens, and: "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens. If you have safety concerns, contact your local health department."410 ILCS 625/4(b)(7)Cottage Food Label Requirements →
The sign at your standCottage foodCottage food sellers also post "This product was produced in a home kitchen not inspected by a health department that may also process common food allergens." on a placard at the table, and on the shop page when selling online.410 ILCS 625/4(b)(10)
The federal side of every honey jarFloral source names, honey blends and the optional † footnote for added sugars on pure honey are FDA rules, the same in every state.Honey Labeling Requirements (FDA) →
Sources

Where this comes from

Questions

Illinois label questions

No. IDPH says honey from your hives is regulated under the Department of Agriculture and is not a cottage food product. Only honey with an ingredient infused or whipped into it falls under the cottage food law. Illinois Cottage Food Law →

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